A Tribute Page to NANAHere preparing to party, and serving cake and ice cream
at her 95th Birthday

MARION FRANCES (BOUDWAY) RHOADES

September 27, 1911 - January 9, 2008

Born September 27, 1911 in Farmingdale,
Maine to Frank Edward Boudway from Orono, and Agnes Elizabeth Peterson from Marstrand,
Sweden, she was predeceased by her older sister Dorothy Rankin of West Gardiner, and
her younger brother Edward Boudway of San Diego, California, and her husband
Roland on November 23, 1997. She is survived by sons Roland Rhoades (and Muriel)
of Lakeland FL, Jack Rhoades (and Janet) of Oakland ME, and daughter Lynda
Bailey of Farmingdale, 8 grandchildren, Roland Rhoades IV, Steven Rhoades, Nancy Labrecque, Bonnie Winner, Deborah Gower, James Buotte, Frank Bailey, and
Marcella Bailey, as well as 10 great grandchildren and 13 great-great
grandchildren.

Marion lost her mother when she was only 14 years old and
raised her 7-year-old brother and was a second mother to his friends. Marion
married Roland Edison Rhoades on December 14, 1929. She had 2 boys, Roland and
Jack within 2 years and became a second mother to their friends. In October of
1944 she gave birth to a daughter (Lynda) and once more was a second mother to
this child's friends. Lynda says Marion made growing up a fun experience for all the
generations of children in her life. She would set up chairs in the middle of
the floor and drape blankets over them to make tents. For picnics she would
pack a lunch and take the kids down by the brook and go exploring the area. She
loved fishing and organized many fishing trips during the day. Marion was sure
that she would die young like her mother did, so her Rolie told her, I bet you
$20 you WILL live past 37, and she took the bet. When she turned 38, he made her
pay him the $20! I suppose another 60 years was worth $20.

Nana also loved playing cards and we played Canasta and other
games for many
summers. She was certainly my second mother also. I spent most of my summers with Nana and my grandfather. I learned to
swim at their camp. I learned to tie my shoes by promising my parents "let me
stay one more week and I'll learn to tie my shoes". Nana says I had learned by
the time they got to the end of the street. Nana also got me hooked on coin
collecting when I spent the summer after third grade "helping" her in her corner
neighborhood store that had lots of penny candy, sodas and snacks for daily
coffee breaks, and lots of different old coins to look at and add to my
collection. Marion and Rolie were the ones who had the camp in the boondocks of
the Aziscoos Mountains and Lake in northern Maine that still don't have
electricity or running water, where I spent countless relaxing and fun summers
over 40 years. When I started family tree research, I discovered that many of
their friends and neighbors were also relatives. I also spent my first 56
Christmases at Nana's.

In her later years she enjoyed hooking rugs and giving them
to family and friends. She lived at 133 Northern Avenue [83 after 911 address
changes] in Farmingdale for nearly 70 years where she also had a garden which
she weeded and harvested into her 90s. About her activity she'd say, well if I
stop, I might not get started again. She always had a positive attitude seeing
the bright side of life. In the fall of 2003 she
sold her house and moved in with her daughter Lynda Bailey. On September 23, 2006 she was honored
at a surprise 95th birthday party. About 100 friends and family and former
neighbors from all over the country attended. On October 17, 2006 she suffered
a stroke and was hospitalized for 9 days. She came home to her daughter's and
had home health care until she was hospitalized on August 21, and then
transferred to Augusta Rehab on September 5, 2007.

Nana was also a staunch Democrat, at least
since the 1930s, her husband being a member of the Pipefitters Union. I remember
one Christmas dinner when her nephew had been invited to dinner and started
talking about Republicans and badmouthing President Clinton. She said, "We are
Democrats in this house, and I won't tolerate talk like that here". She
even wrote Bill Clinton a letter during his "troubles" saying she was sorry the
Republicans were messing around mixing his personal life with their political
schemes. She received a very nice letter back from him.

Nana was never afraid of dying, ever since
she "died" in childbirth in 1931 and saw the bright light and those on the other
side. They told her that she had to go back; she was needed by many people on
this side. Marion had had a number of experiences with the veil to the other
side coming down in her final year, and she talked with those who went before
her, and finally made the trip herself at 1:30 am on Wednesday January 9, 2008
in Augusta Maine. When I visited her a few days before, her only concern was, oh
don't kiss me you might catch my cold (I did anyway).

The funeral was January 12 in Gardiner. The
gravesite service at Maine Avenue Cemetery in Farmingdale will be in May after
the ground thaws. Nana was quite the character. Her Rolie, the love of her life for 70
years, had also passed away during the winter, and we were worried how she would
handle re-opening the wound months later. When Lynda took her back into the
funeral home, her words to the funeral director were, "well, I guess we're ready to plant Rolie".

THE STORY OF SAINTE MARION

Sainte Marion went to the Light in 1931 from complications of
childbirth at the age of 19. The angels welcomed her, but also told her they had
a mission for her. She was still needed on earth. There were four boys who
needed her guiding love to help them grow into fine upstanding young men. Marion
looked around and said “OK, but I will never be afraid of coming back here; it
is so beautiful”. The angels said “you haven’t seen anything yet; this is just
the entranceway”. And Marion returned to us.

The four boys who needed her loving guiding hand
were her baby brother, since their mother had already passed to the other side,
and her two baby sons, and her husband, who still had some growing up to do
himself. And she was also needed to take care of her father for another 37
years. Marion did a terrific job. Marion and her husband were together for 70
years. Quite a few years later, the angels also gave her a daughter Lynda to care for
her, when she would be the one needing to be cared for.

Sainte Marion did a wonderful job spreading love
with every connection she made, making everyone feel loved so that they could
also spread love. She had many neighborhood children calling her their second
mom or grandma. She has also been a liberal mediating rational force between any
potential family conflicts. Her impact has been felt by the hundreds of people
who she touched personally and the thousands of people that those people
touched, across the generations and centuries.